[holdenracingteam]

Hi Guys

Just wondering the cost of a new windscreen for the my09 xt .

We are just reviewing the car insurance and looking at the windscreen replacement ... is it better to pay the excess cost $500 or take the excess free windscreen cost (about $70 extra a year ) ??




Any ideas



Cheers

Mick

 

[DemaxForest]

If you can Afford it Pay for it yourself for something that you probably may not replace but once...

 

[guzzla]

Depends on what you see as your risk of having to replace the screen. I used it last year and will again this year but then I'm doing 50,000km a year of country driving.

 

[muzza]

do ya sums

I have had to replace two windscreens in over 20 years owing to major damage that made the car undriveable/unroadworthy. AT RWC time I had to replace 2 windscreens because the inspector said they were "sandblasted" -I didn't agree but I had no choice....

So 2 windscreens actually irrepairably damaged - say around $400 over 20 years($20/year over 5 cars) is not worth $70/year for windscreen cover.
But, I live in the city, do moderate country km and total 20K km a year, so it's not good value for me.

Shop around for windsceens - RACV (with Gold discount) cost me $215 for the XT a little while ago. One place wanted $375 (Novus after a failed crack fix, "less the $100 for the fix" - they can jam that in their crack!).

 

[sean85]

tbh its not worth it.

I have been driving for 7 years and NEVER once had to replace it. Live in a rural area too.

My old man been driving nearly 40 years and I think only once been replaced. really not worth it.

 

[guzzla]

tbh its not worth it. really not worth it.

Depends where you drive and what you drive. I've done over 300,000km in the Camry and its screen is unmarked and it's copped some unbelieveable rocks. The Forester looks like it will be a yearly event and seems to get stars after the smallest of knocks. At least they haven't turned into cracks. Needless to say I only have the free screen on the Foresters policy and ithas been worth it.

 

[aLLaNNa1]

how come whenever you get windscreen replaced through insurance claim, they always give you a "non factory" windscreen? in my previous car, i had to claim and they gave me a made-in-china windscreen. when i asked my insurance company they said the cover is for a suitably "approved" windscreen and doesnt have to be factory item. do you guys insist on having your windscreens replaced with genuine factory item or aftermarket ones?

 

[Danwell]

I'm with Suncorp, and the windscreen option for me worked out at about $25 a year. I'm happy to pay for that knowing that even if I only break one windscreen every ten years, I'm still ahead.

As for who would do it.....does your insurer offer choice of repairer? Suncorp does, and I'd be damn sure I get the best quality replacement.

 

[guzzla]

how come whenever you get windscreen replaced through insurance claim, they always give you a "non factory" windscreen? in my previous car, i had to claim and they gave me a made-in-china windscreen. when i asked my insurance company they said the cover is for a suitably "approved" windscreen and doesnt have to be factory item. do you guys insist on having your windscreens replaced with genuine factory item or aftermarket ones?

I have RACQ insurance and got mine done by Windscreens O'Brien and it looks identical to the original but seems to be tougher. The original got large stars so easily where this one has had some big rocks but only suffered 2 very small stars - you wouldn't notice them unless they were pointed out to you - and has taken some hits the haven't left a mark. It's not like my Camry windscreen though - I'd love to know what it's made of.

 

[superfly]

I've been driving for 23 years and have never replaced a windscreen. My current insurer actually includes the windscreen option FOC. I will have to use it on my wife's car in the near future has it has a large stone chip in it.

 

[Markyjv]

Try and insure your car with shannons and you get free windscreen each year, no excess to pay.

Subaru will replace the windscreen and all you do is give them the policy number of your insurance. They use an aftermarket screen, but you can ask for a genuin one if your willing to wait for it to be imported.

 

[guzzla]

Try and insure your car with shannons and you get free windscreen each year, no excess to pay.

Subaru will replace the windscreen and all you do is give them the policy number of your insurance. They use an aftermarket screen, but you can ask for a genuin one if your willing to wait for it to be imported.

At what cost though? When I was renewing my insurance I checked out RACQ, NRMA, Suncorp, AAMI, Allianz, API & QBE and only QBE offered the free windscreen but their quote was still way over the top. Others charge around $70 extra for it. RACQ gave me rating 1 for life, choice of repairer & free windscreen insured for market value for $457. The others couldn't get near that.

 

[Markyjv]

You dont pay extra for windscreen cover. its included

 

[superfly]

At what cost though? When I was renewing my insurance I checked out RACQ, NRMA, Suncorp, AAMI, Allianz, API & QBE and only QBE offered the free windscreen but their quote was still way over the top. Others charge around $70 extra for it. RACQ gave me rating 1 for life, choice of repairer & free windscreen insured for market value for $457. The others couldn't get near that.

You'll have to ring them as each person's particulars differ.

I'm insured with Shannons as they were by far the cheapest. Also with my car, it has lots of mods, so they were the only ones that would insure it.

 

[out]

I have a contrary opinion.

I never had the windscreen option on my insurance and then 2 x MY09 Forester windscreen in two years. Fortunately that policy through the leasing company had windscreen coverage. So I got it on my Outback too (via NRMA) and have since claimed on it once.

Each Forester windscreen was almost $1000 from Windscreens Obrien from memory. Outback Windscreen was around $600-700.

And that was just from city driving. It left me feeling less than impressed with the resilience of Subaru's windscreens (I had only had 1 or 2 replaced in 15 years before that) and convinced of the value of the windscreen option on the insurance.

btw OP, the windscreen insurance option is usually EXCESS-FREE....at least it is with NRMA. Otherwise it would be pointless. I figure for the extra $30-70 a year, I am guaranteed to need at least 1 if not more windscreens over the next 2,3,4, 10 years and given how much Subaru gouges for replacement windscreens it will pay back X times over.

things were different 10 years ago when a windscreen would only cost $300.

 

[Subyroo]

I have replaced 2 x windscreens in 26 years.

1 x in a 1986 VL Commodore that served us for 14 yrs old and one in my current 03 XS Forester, I claimed the VL windscreen on Insurance and paid for the Forester, the excess was more than the cost of the windscreen itself.

I'd look at it this way, if you share the road that has a lot of gravel trucks on it then get the insurance, because it will be a matter when not if.

 

[jkoppee]

it's like murphy's law says, if you get the insurance you probably won't ever need to replace the windshield but if you don't get it you may end up needing it. Is $5 a month worth knowing that if anything happens you're covered?

 

[guzzla]

If you really want value only take the windscreen option after you have a need for a new one and then get it replaced and wait again till it's needed. That's what I have done over the last 35 years and have replaced 5.

 

[raoulw]

In 25 years driving, never had to replace a windscreen.

 

[Rustoz]

cost was $250 through RACQ preferred windscreen repairer +$30 if they couldn't reuse the black strip, or $670 through Windscreens O'Brien.